


the power of paws

by Sway



Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Christmas schmoop, M/M, Puppies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 05:13:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9163693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sway/pseuds/Sway
Summary: “I know this was Bors’ task for the holidays but I just couldn’t let these guys stay at the mansion with him. He is obviously a cat person.”





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kettlepillow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kettlepillow/gifts).



> So there was talk about Merlin and puppies and somehow this happened...   
> There is also no excuse for the title so I won't even try to find one.
> 
> This is for [kettlepillow](http://archiveofourown.org/users/kettlepillow)

It starts with a simple question.

“Will you be home on Christmas Eve?”

Merlin peers over the edge of his computer monitor. “I thought you weren’t going to visit your family until Christmas morning?”

“I’m not.” Eggsy literally bounces on his feet. “Not an answer to my question.”

“I suppose I’ll manage. All agents are asked to lay low so if no catastrophe happens…”

“Ah ah ah, don’t jinx it, guv.” 

“I wasn’t.” Merlin holds up his hands in defiance. “I was merely saying...”

“Well, don’t. Just make sure you’ll be home by nine.”

“Will you let me finish a sent…”

“No,” Eggsy interrupts yet again. Then he turns and heads for the elevator up into HQ. “Later, then.”

 

*

It continues with a not so simple question.

“What on earth is this?”

“It’s Christmas.” Eggsy grins from ear to ear.

“It looks like a window from Selfridges in here.”

Merlin is right. Santa himself couldn’t have done a better job. There’s a tree there, fully decorated with ornaments and lights, garlands line the windows and pretty much every flat surface in the living room. There’s little figurines of angels and Santas and reindeers, there is even fake snow on the coffee table.

“You hate it,” Eggsy says at Merlin’s slightly less enthusiastic response.

“No, no I do not. It’s just a little… overwhelming, I suppose.”

“Just say you hate it. No need to sugarcoat with me.”

“It’s beautiful, Eggsy.” The man crosses the Winter Wonderland and gives Eggsy a peck against his temple. “I mean it.”

“Well, you better.” Eggsy does pout but a slow kiss on the mouth appeases him a little. “You might want to get comfortable, then. Dinner’s about ready.”

“You made dinner?” Merlin raises an eyebrow.

“I did, thank you. Now, if you’re done insulting me, go get into your robe, Mister. I’ll be back in a minute.” With that, Eggsy turns on his heel and heads for the kitchen.

He returns balancing a tray with two plates holding cuts of Christmas roast, potatoes and gravy. He has a bottle of wine tugged under one arm which threatens to slip but Merlin catches it in time. 

“When did you have time to make a roast?” he asks as Eggsy sets everything down on the coffee table.

“To be perfectly honest… the lovely gents at Harrods did. They even recommended the wine, too. But I made the potatoes my very own self.” Eggsy smiles sheepishly. “I hope you’re not mad but we both are atrocious cooks so I thought this was the safest route.”

“Can’t say I disagree.”

“You gonna open that?” Eggsy gestures at the bottle in Merlin’s hand.

“Of course.”

The Scot sets about to retrieve the corkscrew and two glasses. He’s in his dressing gown now which Eggsy insists he wears around the house now that it’s below ten degrees. At one point he has actually forbidden Merlin to wear a jumper at home because it reminded him too much of work and he, Eggsy, wasn’t wearing a suit while watching the telly either and that was the end of that discussion.

Eggsy puts some music on which turns out to the cheesiest mix of Christmas songs ever to be played but neither of them comments on it. 

They eat with a rendition of “Adeste Fideles” in the background and the twinkling lights of Eggsy’s decorations illuminating the room.

“May I ask you a question, Eggsy?” Merlin starts carefully as he refills their glasses.

“Of course.” 

“Why did you do all this?”

Eggsy falls silent for a while, pushing his fork around on his now empty plate. “You know when my dad died, right?”

“Yes.”

“That was just before Christmas and my mom… she spent all of the holidays crying. So that’s kind of what… that’s what Christmas was like for me ever since and then… Dean happened and… I mean we did try to make it good for Daisy but… it just wasn’t…” Merlin reaches out for his shoulder then and Eggsy accepts the gentle squeeze with a nod. “So… since… since Harry and V-Day and all that… I thought it was time to… I wanted Christmas to be nice again.”

“You did it, Eggsy.” Merlin leans into him and gives him a kiss against his temple. “It is.”

“There is a bit more, though. Bit of a surprise.” Eggsy’s face lightens again as he shrugs off the shadows of his past.

“Should I be scared?”

“Promise you won’t be mad.”

“I’m not sure I can make such a pledge,” Merlin says hesitantly. 

“Just close your eyes, yeah?” 

“That’s certainly nothing an agent is really excited to hear.”

“Please?” Eggsy does the eyes. Those puppy eyes he knows Merlin can’t resist, which have gotten him repeatedly into trouble and back out again and which only once have gotten him a thorough spanking.

“Because it’s Christmas,” Merlin complies.

“You might want to sit on the floor, too.”

“Eggsy…”

“Because it’s Christmas.” Eggsy literally jumps from his seat. “Please?”

Merlin does give in and sits on the floor with his back to the couch, carefully arranging his robe around himself. As he is told, he closes his eyes, making a bit of a show of it, too.

Eggsy disappears from the living room and returns with a huge cardboard box that is almost half his size and he has difficulties to get it through the door. It’s especially difficult because of the box’s content is not very cooperative. 

“Eggsy, why do I hear mewling?”

“Shh.”

“Did you just shush me?”

“Not you…” Eggsy huffs as he sets down the box next to the couch. “Be quiet, guys. You’ll spoil the fun.” There’s more mewling and little whining noises coming from the box. “Yeah yeah. Letting you out now.” He moves about, cursing a little under his breath. “Okay, you can open your eyes now.”

Merlin does and his jaw drops immediately. “Eggsy, what did you do?”

“I know this was Bors’ task for the holidays but I just couldn’t let these guys stay at the mansion with him. He is obviously a cat person.”

“Eggsy, you can’t…” Merlin is cut off when the tiniest paw lands on his thigh and the big brown eyes of a Golden Retriever puppy look up at him. His next words come out of reflex and he will never tell anyone any different. “Hi there little fellow.”

Eggsy grins at the sight, his plan clearly working out. “I know we’ll need them for the new recruits but a little quality time hasn’t hurt no one. And I will get them back after the holidays.”

“You know this is totally defeating the purpose of… ouch.” Merlin looks down at his foot where the miniature version of an Australian Shepherd it trying to gnaw its way through Merlin’s sock-clad foot.

“I swear I will not imprint on them. They’ll still be all… blank puppies for the newbies to train.” Eggsy picks up a Corgi puppy which pretty much looks like a furry baby bat. “You are, aren’t ya? You’ll not think I’m daddy, will ya?”

“Because talking to them like that will not imp…” This time it’s the little Pomeranian who gets all mischievous on the Scot and snaps toothlessly at his hand. “Now that’s not nice.”

Eggsy snorts a laugh. “Look who’s talking now. Now… there were five of them…. Ah, there you are.” He draws a shy Rottweiler puppy from where it’s been hiding underneath the couch. “You mustn’t just wander off.”

“You better not lose any of them, Eggsy.”

“Oh I could never. Just look at their widdle faces. Couldn’t lose you if I tried.” Again Eggsy is nose to nose with the Corgi as the Rottweiler is bravely climbing Mount Merlin. “Now look at who's a regular Cesar Millan?”

Somehow all of the puppies seem to gravitate towards Merlin, pawing and gnawing at whatever piece of the man they can get to.

“Leader of the pack. That’s kinda hot.” Eggsy leans into him and plants a kiss to his mouth. “More wine?”

“Yes please.”

Eggsy leaves the Corgi on the carpet and scrambles to his feet to refill their glasses. 

When he turns around again, Merlin is quite literally covered in puppies. The Pomeranian has given up on biting off one if his toes and has prompts fallen asleep draped across Merlin’s ankles, rendering him immobile.

The Retriever and the Australian Shepherd are way cheekier than that. While the Rottweiler is looking for a comfortable spot in Merlin’s lap - slightly improper crotch-sniffing included - they have successfully crawled up his chest. The Aussie has already wormed its way into Merlin’s robe, obviously homing in on that ticklish spot along his ribcage. For lack of eye-to-paw coordination, the Retriever needs a little support from Merlin’s hand under its furry little butt for which he thanks Merlin by licking his neck.

Only the Corgi hasn’t completed the mission yet, its stumpy little legs not helping in the endeavor.

What strikes Eggsy even more than the tooth-rottingly sweet image in front of him is the fact that Merlin is smiling. And not just the somewhat pained expression he seems to harbour at work. It’s a warm and content smile, eyes glinted cheerily in the light of the tree. 

Obviously even he can’t withstand the power of paws.

“Beautiful,” Eggsy breaths, immediately blushing bright red at his own words.

“Excuse me?” Merlin looks at him and finally scoops up the Corgi with the same skill as he does a dropped semi-automatic.

“Nothings. It’s just… It’s nice to see you like this.”

“And what’s _this_ like?”

“I don’t know. Happy?” Eggsy shrugs sheepishly.

Merlin beckons him. “Come here, Eggsy.”

Eggsy hunkers down next to him. He doesn’t get to say anything because Merlin puts the puppy in his lap and pulls Eggsy in for a long, slow kiss. 

“You’re not far off,” he says with a little wink.

“You don’t think I’m mental, do you?”

“I would never.” Another kiss. “You are reckless and hotheaded but I understand perfectly well what you’re going here. And I’m grateful for it.” He pulls Eggsy down to sit next to him. “He was my friend, too, and I miss him dearly. So this --” He gestures at the invasion of puppies. “-- it helps.”

Eggsy smiles but it doesn’t hold much humor.

“There’s something else that helps even more.” A cheeky grin from Merlin. “Knowing Harry would have hated this.”

“But did loved his dog.”

“Out of spite, stubborn bastard that he was.”

Eggsy doesn’t know what to say. So he curls up against Merlin, carefully not to squish any of the dogs. He snakes one hand into Merlin’s gown, the man’s (and the little Aussie’s, for that matter) warmth seeping into his fingertips.

They stay like that for a long while. So long actually that three of the puppies have fallen asleep. When Merlin speaks, he tries to keep his voice as low as possible but he still startles Eggsy.

“Thank you, Eggsy,” he says simply, only turning his head to look at him.

Carefully Eggsy shifts up to draw a kiss from him, slow and deliberate. 

“And thanks for this, too,” Merlin says when the kiss ends. As if to clarify, he runs his tongue over his lips.

“You’re very welcome. For both.”

Eggsy leans his head against Merlin’s shoulder. The next time he looks up, five dogs and one Scot are fast asleep.

As quietly as he can - and he’s really just saying it to himself - he murmurs: “Merry Christmas.”


End file.
